Why Rangers-bound star will refuse to down tools as Premiership boss makes confident claim ahead of Ibrox move
The Dundee manager has expressed his delight for the midfielder after earning a summer move to Rangers
Dundee manager Tony Docherty has provided his reaction to midfielder Lyall Cameron agreeing a pre-contract move to Rangers in the summer.
The 22-year-old will make the switch to Ibrox at the end of the season upon the expiry of his contract at Dens Park, but will remain in Tayside for the remainder of the campaign.
GlasgowWorld understand Rangers will owe their Scottish Premiership rivals a slightly smaller compensation fee of around £450,000 when he eventually completes the switch, due to the length of time Cameron has been at the club - roughly £190k less than they dished out on Connor Barron from Aberdeen last summer.
Docherty revealed he “couldn’t be more pleased” for the player and was equally delighted to keep hold of the ex-Scotland youth international beyond the winter transfer window - insisting Cameron won’t allow his standards to drop while still at the Dark Blues.
“I’m not surprised,” Docherty admitted when asked about Cameron’s move after drawing plenty of interest from elsewhere. “And I think it is credit to Lyall for the level of performance that he puts in. That’s him now, I think, 108 times he has played for the club and scored 27 goals, that is one in four for a midfielder which is outstanding.
“Even more than that, this year I had challenged him to step up to the plate with Luke (McCowan) going to Celtic. He has now contributed to 17 goals in 30 games in the Scottish Premiership which is good shooting when you look across any league. For a midfielder, that is a fantastic contribution.
“What comes with that is when you are playing at that level and with that consistency you are obviously going to attract suitors, it is the nature of the industry now. I couldn’t be more pleased for Lyall, but I am pleased I have still got him because he is a brilliant kid and we have got a really good relationship and I know he will continue to give absolutely everything in a Dundee shirt.”
Rangers technical director Nils Koppen hailed Cameron’s addition as one that can help Rangers to grow “in the coming years”, with the majority of Light Blues supporters similarly thrilled by the transfer news on social media.
One fan wrote: “Huge news this. If we can pull off players of this calibre when other big clubs are sniffing around it shows we’re doing something right” while a second person commented: “Welcome Lyall, the best midfielder Dundee’s had in years.”